You may have seen this photo (or others like it) going around, posted on Facebook, etc, with a note that it’s of Burmese monks praying for world peace. That’s not quite accurate.

The actual story is that this is from a photoset of what some call a cult, based out of Thailand, whose “mass ceremonies are inspired by the head abbot’s fascination with the Muslim hajj gatherings and Nazi parades…” That description and the photoset itself — called “Close Encounters of the Buddhist Kind” — come from Foreign Policy. These photos really do beg to be seen. Only, in context.

Ladies and gentlemen, set your sights upon a vision unlike any you’ve ever seen before. That’s right, it’s a Thai Buddhist monk planking.

And it’s apparently a problem that needs to be addressed.

At any rate, this wins for Photo of the Day. Hands down.

Via Time, thanks to reader and friend Dan R:

The [Culture] ministry has called on tattoo parlors across Thailand to stop drawing Buddha on people’s bodies because his image is sacred and has asked provincial governors to inspect parlors to assure that they are not defying the decree.

More here. Good thing they’re not keeping people out for already having them, or we’d know a lot of ineligible folks.

As a tattoo kinda guy (I know: ecccch), I have mixed feelings about Spike TV’s show “Permanent Mark,” about a dude who travels the world collecting exotic tattoos. It’s great travel-show-style eye candy, though it often emphasizes a sort of sometimes-drunk machismo to which I just don’t relate. (I guess I’m a sensitive, wussy type.) But the latest episode takes the show’s titular host to Thailand, where with the help of Buddhist monks, he receives a highly-prized — and highly painful — bit of ink from one particular monk who happens to be a true master of the art.

You can now watch the entire episode online, here.

(Dang, do I want to go to Thailand.)

“Undoubtedly the most bizarre element of [this temple's] design is the presence of contemporary images throughout the interior. Images of the Predator from the Schwarzenegger film franchise, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Avatar, Keanu Reeves’ character in the Matrix, rocket ships, and others line the walls. The sea of hands holding skulls rising up towards the bridge to the temple is also very striking.”

Really. You’ve GOT to see this. It’s apparently quite real. (Funny thing is I had a photo of the temple’s exterior as desktop photo for a while, having no idea what was in the inside, until now.)

And here’s some video of the exterior:

(Tip of the hat to Scott Mitchell.)

[April 20 update: looks like the end is nigh for the Hitler Meme.]

No matter what side you take in the debate as to whether or not Theravadan nuns should be ordained — is it progress, or is it a bending of rules that have time-tested reasons? — you have to admit: the fact that it’s now been addressed in an update of the infamous (and often funny) “Hitler Meme” is remarkable. (And sure to offend some.) Watch it here:

[It IS worth noting that in the Hitler Meme, having a particular stance assigned to "Hitler" does not necessarily equate the holder of said stance with Hitler, but with being unreasonable. Some further examples: here, and here. There's a ton of 'em.]

So, where do you stand? Check the ongoing conversation at SunSpace for more.

BIG thanks to the great Sumi Loundon Kim for pointing this one out.

What’s next, “Rick-Rolling” critics of the Dalai Lama?

I’m a little late on this one, being that I’m just back from a meditation retreat — it’s best, they say, to take a little time before jumping onto one’s email, etc, to make your post-retreat “re-entry” a bit easier. But when I saw that my dharma-brother-from-a-different mother Konchog Norbu had sent me an email that said, simply, “This one’s for the Horse,” with a link, I had to open it.

And so here it is, “Jessica Simpson Loses It in Buddhist Temple,” a scene from the singer and pretty person’s new show, in which she tries to learn what beauty means to various cultures:

You know, though, I can’t really say anything bad about this. At least she went. And hey, I can’t say I was much better in more than a couple of moments during this past weekend! So, yes, this one really is for The Worst Horse — and by that I mean, the worst horse in all of us. Because we all have “a little more work to do.”

Giant, GIANT thanks to Konchog Norbu for sending this clip, via the blog, “Truth is Within: Just Another Buddhist Monk’s Weblog.”

You may recognize its initial title-card as a reference to Penelope Spheeris’s infamous documentary series about punk and metal, The Decline of Western Civilization.

I want to see this!

Via Huffington Post:

“…it’s clear that this Buddhist monastery is like no other, for this handful of monks live with some of the deadliest animals in the world…”

OK, lolcats they ain’t… but these Thai tigers and their Buddhist monastic keepers do deserve to be seen.

Thanks to Sam DeWitt for finding them and passing them on…

There’s a whole sub-strata of comedy known as “cringe comedy.” (Think Elaine on Seinfeld doing her “little kicks” dance, or The Office, or Curb Your Enthusiasm.) And when it comes to Buddhism and cringes, there’s no shortage of those either. Following up on the very unfunny Yogi’s Treasure Hunt, the Horse presents some of the most cringe-worthy, Dharma-Burger-tastic videos to be found on the web.

We start off with one submitted by reader Matthias S., who writes: “Just found a (in my opinion not really funny) video which describes a common misinterpretation of karma — namely that karma has something to do with a balancing out of good and bad deeds.” Here’s the video:

Next up: College Humor’s “Facebook Buddha” video.

How many times did you cringe during that? Bet you lost count.

Next up is a music video from the Thai boy-band, “Buddha Bless.” Yee-gads:

Finally, the last one (for now) follows up on the idea of “Buddha Bless,” and proves Mad magazine’s adage, “You never can win with a bigot.” It comes from the classic American sitcom, All in the Family (1971-1979). AitF practically invented (and perfected) cringe comedy, and here, Archie Bunker does his ignorant best to answer the the age-old question, “What do the Chinese say when they sneeze?”(Warning: Archie’s language was always offensive, and it’s still as potently so today.)

Go, Meathead!

Stay tuned for more — if you can take it.